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On May 22 2012 02:27 AKomrade wrote:
That quote at the end from the blue made my life. After WoL and Cataclysm, I had sort of given up on Blizzard making truly HARD games again. In fact, Diablo 3 in general gave me hope for all of the next games Blizzard is making. Besides the obvious problems that you mentioned, D3 is perfect. Even the BNet 2.0 integration is amazing.
Also, I really liked the storyline. I've logged hundreds of hours on both D1 and D2 and loved the lore. I wish it had been a little less "conclusive" at the end, but thats namely because I REALLY want an xpack. Also they leave out why its important that Tyrael became the aspect of Wisdom, but w/e.
Regardless, 5/5.
major plot spoilers+ Show Spoiler +
It really bugs me that they left out wtf happened to Leah(hopefully goes in expo, as) ,how-to-Black Soulstone(why does it trap all the seven Evils?!), and more importantly WORLDSTONE DESTROYED NEED TO KNOW CONSEQUENCES NOW. Did its destruction help us or them? It made us stronger probably, blizz probably doesn't even know there was a Worldstone
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Good review, there will always be haters, no matter what. Opinions are like assholes.
Btw, my friend is playing a Witch Doctor and he's about level 50. He's loving it, but I guess not every class can be for everyone.
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On May 22 2012 02:22 hypercube wrote:So you're saying it's bland and unoriginal but people shouldn't complain because that's exactly what they should have expected. Not sure if that's an endorsement or not. edit: + Show Spoiler +Since there's so much negativity on TL I feel like I need to add this. As much as I disagree with your arguments (and I usually do) I still enjoy reading your blogs. You obviously have a talent for writing.
I'm not surprised by the negativity, gamers aren't exactly the most inspiring, optimistic people you will meet 
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So by "polemical" you mean "run your mouth off at people who disagree with you"? Just checking to make sure we're on the same page.
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5 star'd for "oh shit, Duriel"
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I actually have seen people complain about the tits thing. 5/5.
And to the people complaining about graphics? That's why we have plotless tech demo type FPS games that get released every 12-18 months. Or, you know, L2epeen. Because nobody buys a Blizz game for the graphics. You want to Epeen, DL A FUCKING BENCHMARK.
(On this note, SWTOR's graphics pissed me off, but that's mostly because the game ran like dog shit, despite looking like the textures were legos someone finger painted on.)
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On May 21 2012 23:19 Tobberoth wrote:Show nested quote +On May 21 2012 23:16 sc4k wrote:On May 21 2012 19:53 brachester wrote:
"who the fuck play diablo 3 for the story?". I don't mind it that much but it doesn't change the fact that d3's story is shit and not everyone plays the game the way you do. Yeah this is the biggest problem I have with Gheed's arguments. It's probably the dumbest and most un-diablo-fannish argument as well. WTF are you talking about Gheed, Diablo II's story, specifically its cutscenes, were some of the most EPIC and radically awesome experiences in my childhood. All the stuff involving the dark traveller, the guy who goes insane following him and Tyrael finding him in the mental asylum, Tal Rasha being imprisoned etc. Are you KIDDING me??? That stuff was pure godly story. Pretty much no game in history has had a BETTER story than Diablo 2. The argument that people didn't play Diablo because of the story is completely misplaced. Sure they may not have been enticed into playing for the first time because of the story, but surely MANY MANY stayed because of a) the story b) the atmosphere/ visuals c) the music. If that was a godly story, then D3 has a pretty fantastic story as well. I mean seriously, what were you when you played D2, 13? It's not that D2 wasn't cool or anything, but how can the basic concept of the dark traveler seriously make people think D2 had an amazing story where D3 doesn't? That's like if in 10 years, Diablo 4 is released and people go "D4 has such a shitty story, remember Tyrael falling from the sky in D3? That was GODLY story".
As someone who really enjoyed the ending to D1 following around your former hero was pretty damn awesome. No it wasn't a masterpiece story, but it was a really solid minimal story. D3 is a mess with no good characters.
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i never rate a blog and i've never played a minute of diablo 3.but i was a hardcore d2 player with many heroes 98+ and so on.i've watched many d3 streams and i can say i completely agree with you.10/5 if i could.gj!
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On May 22 2012 04:23 Lexpar wrote:
So by "polemical" you mean "run your mouth off at people who disagree with you"? Just checking to make sure we're on the same page.
I think he was running his mouth off at people he disagrees with :p small distinction
As for the OP, about the WoW comparison
I think its perfectly valid to compare it to WoW, just because WoW is an assimilation of various other styles of games doesnt mean it cant be used as a basis for comparison
I've never played many RPG games, but when I played D3 beta, my first thought was "it plays like WoW" because of the "hit-one-key-and-cast-a-spell" aspect of the game, which is NOT exclusive to WoW, but has resemblance to a play style which is often associated with WoW
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This was actually really informative for me :D
I just began playing diablo 2 as I'm waiting for a friend to finish with his exams before we co-op through the game and decided that I should give Diablo 2 a go since I never really played it properly(yeah, yeah, I know...). So now I know to spend those points in vitality!
Really fun read as always Gheed, you are my favorite blogger on TL!
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lol @ the tits. they are also kinda saggy.
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My main complaint is actually that some of the skills are retarded...
Seriously... machine gun crossbow? Have those developers ever tried to _use_ a crossbow?
Or Piercing Heat Seeking Bolts on level 1... with the additional chance to pierce rune i've seen one bolt kill 4 opponents by going through each of them twice... and one of those opponents was _behind_ me.
Or the Wizard... how do you call his first AoE skill? Galacticide? I throw galaxies at you and make them go boom. It was filled with 10'000 planets that had life on them? Oh, well, in astronomical terms it's basically nothing, so let's kill more lifeforms... by making countless species extinct.
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Haha, this post made my day. Love it.
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On May 22 2012 03:41 Heh_ wrote:Show nested quote +On May 22 2012 03:32 Crazyseal wrote:On May 21 2012 22:21 Sated wrote:On May 21 2012 20:18 Crazyseal wrote:
TBH, i find alot of this review to be incorrect in my opinion. The game is simply just boring. Its an RPG, without any real feel of being an RPG. The game is simply a worse version of WoW, and hold your horses, let me explain why:
1) No open world - This is, imo, a real flaw to the game and eliminates so much of the randomness in RPG's which often make them great, such as ganking or doing random crazy things to people.
2) No factions - Without PvP being implemented from release and the lack of opposition the game is pretty much a vs AI grind fest, which granted some people enjoy, but it is mind numbingly repetitive, without any real strategy. PvP being delayed means that the game is not competitive at all.
3) Small Games - A max of 5 people per game is quite poor for Diablo. Even D2 would allow 8 people max if I recall correctly which allowed a lot more interaction.
4) Exactly the same Quests - Just like in D2, going from one difficulty or character, to another is a mirror image of the game. Even in WoW, which is arguably similar in these instances, there is much more choice in the areas you want to quest , the range of quests and the whole feel of the levelling system.
5) Lack of Skill involved - With the ability to be able to swap and switch everything on your character and its skills, it really destroys the ability for actual skill based game play and the need to level another of the same class, which is what made D2 a brilliant game in terms of continuity.
Just my 2 cents.
1) Diablo has never been open world. If you expect open world from Diablo 3 then you're a retard. This is like complaining that SC2 is terrible because it's not like Mario, or something equally redundant. 2) PvP is pretty pointless until there are enough level 60 characters to go at it... and until people have geared up enough to make it meaningful. Also, as Blizzard have said that they don't intend to balance the game for PvP, people trying to figure out the most imbalanced combinations is the most fun you can expect PvP to get. Diablo isn't really about PvP, PvP is merely an entertaining distraction. 3) It's 4 people. Admittedly, 5 would be better as it would allow one of each class to be in a party. 8 is too many IMO as you never needed 8 people in D2 - you'd end up with people who stood around doing nothing for large parts of the game. 4) So? It's about being able to kill shit, what you're killing shit for is actually irrelevant in a game like this. 5) If you think that then try solo'ing through to Hell or Inferno. You need to use your skills properly. As for team play, teamwork is way more important in D3 than in D2 because the enemy skill increase ("Hell's minions grow stronger") actually makes things harder. In D2, most character builds could solo Hell in an 8 person game, this doesn't seem as likely in D3 due to the myriad of elite mob combinations that will fuck up certain types of build (try a build that relies strongly on kiting against a Frozen Waller or an Arcane Jailer in Hell+ and see how far that gets you, for example). 1) Im not saying that Diablo as a game should change its roots, im saying that itself is the reason to why the game is bad, coupled with the lack of party members deepens this problem. 2) Yeah, so half of what D2 was about is not even relevant anymore. Cool. Whats the point of the game then? 3).... what? 4)... once again, your dumbing down your own argument. It is 100% relevant. It is what makes up the fabric of the game. If you don't like the game, don't play it. No one's forcing you to play it. If you wanted A, B and C but got A, B and D, either suck it up or find a game that fulfills your criteria. If you got D, E and F instead, it's your fault for buying a game without any prior research.
Im not saying anyone is forcing me to play it im giving you my opinion on the game. And its not my fault, as i did research it and i dident buy it tyvm.
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On May 22 2012 04:45 Logo wrote:Show nested quote +On May 21 2012 23:19 Tobberoth wrote:On May 21 2012 23:16 sc4k wrote:On May 21 2012 19:53 brachester wrote:
"who the fuck play diablo 3 for the story?". I don't mind it that much but it doesn't change the fact that d3's story is shit and not everyone plays the game the way you do. Yeah this is the biggest problem I have with Gheed's arguments. It's probably the dumbest and most un-diablo-fannish argument as well. WTF are you talking about Gheed, Diablo II's story, specifically its cutscenes, were some of the most EPIC and radically awesome experiences in my childhood. All the stuff involving the dark traveller, the guy who goes insane following him and Tyrael finding him in the mental asylum, Tal Rasha being imprisoned etc. Are you KIDDING me??? That stuff was pure godly story. Pretty much no game in history has had a BETTER story than Diablo 2. The argument that people didn't play Diablo because of the story is completely misplaced. Sure they may not have been enticed into playing for the first time because of the story, but surely MANY MANY stayed because of a) the story b) the atmosphere/ visuals c) the music. If that was a godly story, then D3 has a pretty fantastic story as well. I mean seriously, what were you when you played D2, 13? It's not that D2 wasn't cool or anything, but how can the basic concept of the dark traveler seriously make people think D2 had an amazing story where D3 doesn't? That's like if in 10 years, Diablo 4 is released and people go "D4 has such a shitty story, remember Tyrael falling from the sky in D3? That was GODLY story". As someone who really enjoyed the ending to D1 following around your former hero was pretty damn awesome. No it wasn't a masterpiece story, but it was a really solid minimal story. D3 is a mess with no good characters.
I liked the enchantress, wasn't a fan of listening to the templar, and I have yet to give the scoundral a chance. I did like how you could hire a follower and get to know their story as you went along, but it could have been done even better.
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On May 22 2012 06:38 Wrongspeedy wrote:Show nested quote +On May 22 2012 04:45 Logo wrote:On May 21 2012 23:19 Tobberoth wrote:On May 21 2012 23:16 sc4k wrote:On May 21 2012 19:53 brachester wrote:
"who the fuck play diablo 3 for the story?". I don't mind it that much but it doesn't change the fact that d3's story is shit and not everyone plays the game the way you do. Yeah this is the biggest problem I have with Gheed's arguments. It's probably the dumbest and most un-diablo-fannish argument as well. WTF are you talking about Gheed, Diablo II's story, specifically its cutscenes, were some of the most EPIC and radically awesome experiences in my childhood. All the stuff involving the dark traveller, the guy who goes insane following him and Tyrael finding him in the mental asylum, Tal Rasha being imprisoned etc. Are you KIDDING me??? That stuff was pure godly story. Pretty much no game in history has had a BETTER story than Diablo 2. The argument that people didn't play Diablo because of the story is completely misplaced. Sure they may not have been enticed into playing for the first time because of the story, but surely MANY MANY stayed because of a) the story b) the atmosphere/ visuals c) the music. If that was a godly story, then D3 has a pretty fantastic story as well. I mean seriously, what were you when you played D2, 13? It's not that D2 wasn't cool or anything, but how can the basic concept of the dark traveler seriously make people think D2 had an amazing story where D3 doesn't? That's like if in 10 years, Diablo 4 is released and people go "D4 has such a shitty story, remember Tyrael falling from the sky in D3? That was GODLY story". As someone who really enjoyed the ending to D1 following around your former hero was pretty damn awesome. No it wasn't a masterpiece story, but it was a really solid minimal story. D3 is a mess with no good characters. I liked the enchantress, wasn't a fan of listening to the templar, and I have yet to give the scoundral a chance. I did like how you could hire a follower and get to know their story as you went along, but it could have been done even better.
I found it vaguely amusing that the Enchantress felt like a more complete "typical female NPC" than Leah, who + Show Spoiler +basically just exists to get thrown under a plotbus.
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On May 22 2012 06:44 JingleHell wrote:Show nested quote +On May 22 2012 06:38 Wrongspeedy wrote:On May 22 2012 04:45 Logo wrote:On May 21 2012 23:19 Tobberoth wrote:On May 21 2012 23:16 sc4k wrote:On May 21 2012 19:53 brachester wrote:
"who the fuck play diablo 3 for the story?". I don't mind it that much but it doesn't change the fact that d3's story is shit and not everyone plays the game the way you do. Yeah this is the biggest problem I have with Gheed's arguments. It's probably the dumbest and most un-diablo-fannish argument as well. WTF are you talking about Gheed, Diablo II's story, specifically its cutscenes, were some of the most EPIC and radically awesome experiences in my childhood. All the stuff involving the dark traveller, the guy who goes insane following him and Tyrael finding him in the mental asylum, Tal Rasha being imprisoned etc. Are you KIDDING me??? That stuff was pure godly story. Pretty much no game in history has had a BETTER story than Diablo 2. The argument that people didn't play Diablo because of the story is completely misplaced. Sure they may not have been enticed into playing for the first time because of the story, but surely MANY MANY stayed because of a) the story b) the atmosphere/ visuals c) the music. If that was a godly story, then D3 has a pretty fantastic story as well. I mean seriously, what were you when you played D2, 13? It's not that D2 wasn't cool or anything, but how can the basic concept of the dark traveler seriously make people think D2 had an amazing story where D3 doesn't? That's like if in 10 years, Diablo 4 is released and people go "D4 has such a shitty story, remember Tyrael falling from the sky in D3? That was GODLY story". As someone who really enjoyed the ending to D1 following around your former hero was pretty damn awesome. No it wasn't a masterpiece story, but it was a really solid minimal story. D3 is a mess with no good characters. I liked the enchantress, wasn't a fan of listening to the templar, and I have yet to give the scoundral a chance. I did like how you could hire a follower and get to know their story as you went along, but it could have been done even better. I found it vaguely amusing that the Enchantress felt like a more complete "typical female NPC" than Leah, who + Show Spoiler +basically just exists to get thrown under a plotbus.
I like Scoundrel's story most out of the 3, then Enchant, then templar last cause there's no drama in his story :D
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On May 21 2012 16:11 Gheed wrote:
Diablo has tits - I haven't seen anyone complain specifically about this, but seriously, what the hell.
Equal opportunity demon possession. Am I the only one who thought this was cool?
edit: About the story...
For the record I agree with Gheed in principle because that's how I view Diablo as a vehicle for storytelling and a game experience, but I also agree with those who criticize his anti-anti-story rant as misguided and subpar.
I just wanted to make one point. The narrative complexity in the Diablo games progresses in each addition to the series, but the presentation gets increasingly unhinged from the essence of the narrative that is being expressed. If you break down the story elements into the major plot points and analyze like a script writer, clearly D3 has the best story -- it has true tragedy, comedy that illuminates the world and characters, and thematic meat on its hero vs evil bones. But when you play the game, clearly it has the most unengaging, hokey, and audience-dissonant story. Why?
It's transparently the same syndrome as most modern games: too many people working in disjointed chunks that produce an incoherent puddle of "assets" as opposed to something with personality, structure, and overarching presence. Every line is spoonfed to you to drive home the significance of what is happening!. Following the story is like going through an inventory line by line of all the reasons why you're doing this quest right now. News flash: every quest in every game ever is a kill the bad guy or fetch quest, spatial objectives being an offshoot of the latter. I am not looking for motivation, I am looking for spirit and mood as conveyed through goings-on, extra credit for philosophical waxing in the rafters. Unforetunately, the only soul to be found is whatever you can find in the corners in glowing granuals, piecemeal and scanty. Or whatever you dream up for yourself while you roam the desert listening to the adventure music.
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EPT
